Retainer



ug 10, 1943. J. J. SINDLER. 2,326,693

RETAINER Filed Jan. '7, 1942 r Jn/ruin? Patented ug. 10, 1943 RETAINER Jay J. Sindler, Boston, Mass. application January 7, 1942, serai No. 425,887

i claim. o1. 'zc-fas) This invention relates to an improvement in a retainer for keys or other articles having eyes therein, and has as its primary object a retainer on which the articles can be quickly and easily placed `and removed and by which the articles Y are held against unwanted separation from the retainer. l f 1 One form of this invention comprises specically a key retainer having a strip of ertensible material with widened ends, preferably but not necessarily vsagittate in form, and a perforate plate between the ends of the strip and the key carrying portion which forms a loop suspended from the plate.

This and other embodiments of the invention will be hereinafter described with particular reference to the accompanying drawing', in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the strip which is one element of the retainer; and Y Figs. 2 to 5 are perspective views of various embodiments of the invention.

|Ihe retainer in each of these embodiments includes the strip I and a perforate plate I5, The strip It is of extensible material such as rubber,` leather, vinylite or synthetic compounds, and terminates in sagittate ends I I, each end including a tip i Zand wings I3. As shown particularly in Fig. l the Strip is laminated, but it will be understood that the inventionis not limited to a strip so constructed; for instance, the strip might be made integral and of the proper thickness.

In the plate I5 is formed a hole Ithrough which the ends II are passed. The tips' I2 and hole I5 are preferably of such dimensions that the tips can be passed freely through'the hole. The widened portions or wings It, on the other hand, are of a width much greater than any.

transverse dimension of the hole. Since the strip I0 is extensible, however, the ends can be pulled through the hole, the wingsV I3 rst being 'compressedv and, second, after the endsV have passed .through the hole, resuming their normal status.

The plate I5 is thus positioned between the ends v I! and the remainder of the strip onwhich the keys or other articles are supported. rllhewings I3, when the ends II have been passed through the hole I, hold the plate and strip assembled Y and so resist removal of the ends from the hole Y that this will not take place inadvertently when through the hole, both in the same direction in the Fig. 2 embodiment and in opposite directions in the Fig. 3 embodiment. vThe keys Aor 'other' articles having eyes therein, exemplified by a single v key Il, are strung on the strip by pulling oney end H through the eyes, either' before the strip is assembled vwith the plate or after one end of the strip has'beenrvpassed through the hole I.

In both embodiments the article-carrying portion forms a loop from which the articles .are suspended. Ii the eye in the article is small, the strip, being extensible and compressible, can of course be drawn through the eye and the article will usually remain at the position in which it is' left. The wings I3, except in the case of articles having extra large eyes, will prevent inadvertent removal of the articles even though the strip I ll and plate i5 are not assembled.

Fig lwshows an embodiment of the invention which comprises in addition tothe strip Ill and perforate plate I5, Aa second perforateplate 26. The strip I0 isassembled with the "second plate 26 by passing one end through holes 2| and 22jsothat strands 23 of the strip, equal inlength,v extend from one facerof the plate.. The keys or Y other articles arev thenstrung on the'strip and Vthe ends I I passed through Ythe khole I6 in. the.' plate I5 as described above. Fig. 4 shows a single key 2d strung on one strand 23,' the other strand pressing against the head of.Y the key 2Q and holding it in place. v However, the key2ik may TheI perforate plate but a pair of holes 25 and 2S. vThe strip I0 is assembled with'the plate I5 by' means of the -holes'25 and 2S as it is assembled with'the plateV 'Y Edin the Fig. 4 embodiment so that strands 2'!Y are provided. The key or other article, for eX- ample the key 28, is strung on bothstrands 2,1,v and thereafter the ends I I l of the strip are passed. 'A

Preferably the stripY IIijof f this embodiment is Yof suchlength that the keysY through the hole Iii.

or other articles are yieldably, heldincontact with the plate I5 whereby they remain in and do not clash againsteach other.

' rI'he plates I5 and 28 are here shown asheart shaped but obviously their shape is merely a matrter of taste and plates offother shapes canbfe employed.` The ends II'are preferably sagittate"r but this forms no part of the invention and itwill be understood that while the term sagittate is generally used, 'it includes any enlarged. con l. formation `of the ends of the strip that may positionA be desired for appearance as well as for ease or convenience in manufacture.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and-that other embodiments may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as set forth in the following claim.

I claim:

A- device for retaining keys or other articles having eyes therein,`comprising in combination a strip of rubber-like elastic material having sagittate ends, the articles being strung on the portion of thestrip between such ends, and a plate having a hole therein no transverse dimension of which is greater than one transverse dimension of ithe sagittate ends, both ends of the strip being pulled through the hole in the plate so that the plate is between the article-receiving portion of the strip and the sagittate ends thereof.

JAY J. SINDLER. Y 

